The Golden State Warriors’ trip to the Smoothie King Center turned ugly in more ways than one Tuesday night, but nothing topped the jaw-dropping, back-climbing stunt pulled by Draymond Green on DeAndre Jordan.
With the Warriors down 99-90 and just four minutes left, a Pelicans free throw went up… and Green literally jumped onto Jordan’s back like it was a rodeo. The bizarre, completely unnecessary move was caught on every camera angle, instantly went viral, and has NBA fans absolutely livid.
Many are calling it straight-up dirty. Green, the ultimate veteran gamesman, knew exactly what he was doing: DeAndre Jordan is shooting barely 50% from the free-throw line this season and for his entire career. By physically mounting the 6-foot-11 big man mid-shot, Green was trying to rattle him, force a miss, or create enough chaos to draw a substitution and get the ball back. It was clever. It was calculated. And to a lot of people, it was completely over the line.
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The Warriors were already shorthanded and fighting uphill all night. Tempers flared earlier when Quinten Post and Brandin Podziemski got into a heated timeout exchange. Green tried to carry the load anyway — finishing with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks — but the rest of the team looked lost. They dropped a heartbreaker 113-109.
Even in the loss, Green hit a personal milestone, grabbing three offensive rebounds to become the ninth player in Warriors franchise history to reach 1,000 career offensive boards. But nobody’s talking about that right now. They’re talking about the moment Green turned a free throw into a circus act.
Fans across social media are ripping the four-time champion, calling it bush-league, embarrassing, and another example of Draymond doing Draymond things. Some are demanding the league review it. Others are just shaking their heads, asking how this is still allowed in today’s NBA.
The Warriors now head to Memphis to face the Grizzlies, hoping to put the drama behind them and get back on track. But one thing is clear: Draymond Green’s “veteran trick” on DeAndre Jordan is going to be talked about for a long time — and most of the conversation isn’t pretty.